a harris



Feb. 3, 1931. .1. A. HARRIS STEAM MOTOR VEHICLE Filed Feb. 11, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l Gr tum Feb. 3, 1931. A HARR|$ 1,790,986

STEAM MOTOR VEHICLE Filed Feb. 11; 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 3, 1931 UNITED STATES JOHN A r STEAM M08303? i A Application filed February i j egj; lse riaili lqio l'z pffi This invention relates to motor vehicles, and relates vehicles. 7 a

An object of theinvention is to provide a boiler for the power'plant of a steam propelled vehicle (or for a stationary power plant) employing a detachable base within which the combustion gases from a burner are adapted to circulate, said base providing a large surface area for the transfer of heat from said gases to water in the boiler, whereby an instantaneous or flash eneration of steam may be continuously eff ected.

Another object is to provide a novel auto- 5 matic regulator for the water-level in a.

boiler These and various other objects the invention attains by the construction hereinafter described and illustrated, in the ac-.'- companying drawings, wherein,.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a chassis of a motor vehicle diagrammatically showing a power plant embodying the improved construction. 1

' 5 Fi ure 2 is a view of the same in sectional through a difierential gearing 3.

A steam engine 4 of any suitable construction furnishes motive power for the vehicle, the crank shaft 5 of said engine being illustrated as driving the difierential 3 through a suitable gearing 6. I

The engine 4 derives steam from a boiler 7 mounted preferably upon the front portion of the vehicle, 8 designating a steam delivery pipe leading to said engine from the top portion of the boiler. The steam exhaustparticularly tojsteam propelled ihgf from the engine carried pi'pje Q having ai condenser portion l fi ar ranged" within and-discharging waterfis delivered byiaf pipe" l2to aisuiteable pilim-p i3. adapted to deliver suehiwater sure Iof the'hoiler; -r V H .r

Thelboiler-is adapted to he heated bya suitable burner :1'5 to which liquid fuel may be delivered through a .pipe. l'6'from a suit able fuel reservoir 17 a l r mi ve port on of the tank "11 'vwhich stores feed '{water for-the boiler. Fromllsaidtankithe i It isprefei'red tomaintaina the fuel-fin the reservoir 1? to assist the :flow of fuel therefrom to the V-burner andforlthis purpose an lair connection 118 is established tothertop f said fueltanh from ap'fjsuitalole compr.e.ssor :19 driven -bythe engine's. '..j The; base of the' boiler is detachablyk e' cured to the may thereof Joy b.61ts20a, or

the like, and said base is formed with a plura ty of sub tantially circular p 1ssiages Ql through W ichpmbus i ngases from the bu ner 15 :are. adei ted t cir ula emB-y qnt ucti n th e P ovided a la ge hea ran f r surf ce ver wh ch'th mfeed wa er m ybe spread by a suita leu foraterl' QlSQhQ IEBzhQ Cl 21!; upon. the f ed pipe 1. a, a heva e w lleiquick y flashed ut ste mfl s wil api ly ;bu ld: p: p ss I a the a ternat v 'eoestr etiee sheave" in Figures 4 and 5 the hollow base is fornaed aj' pli ira l ity g of {upstanding cylindrical projeetions22, which provide the desired largeareafortransfer of heat. Preferably the tops of said proj ctions' are dished to form shallow Water containers." I

. As a provision for avoiding any accumulation of Water in the boiler 7, a by-pass pipe 23 is arranged to connect the lower portions of the boiler and the water tank 11, said pipe being controlled within the boiler by a normally closed valve 24 which is under control of afloat 25 mounted upon an arm 26. It is preferred to provide a check valve 26a in the pipe 23, preventing any back flow from the water tank to the boiler when there is no steam pressure in the latter.-

2 g '7 p y 1,790,986.

If the water accumulates to a slight, extent in the bottom portion of the boiler the float 25 rises and opens the valve 24, whereupon the steam pressure in the boiler immediately 5 forces such water through the by-pass pipe 23.

An overflow pipe 27 opening in the top portion of .the Water tank passes through the bottom ofsaid tank and after extending rear wardly through the burner chamber 28 opens to the atmosphere; Said pipe serves also to exhaust any steam that may collect in *the top portion of said tank. In the event that the water supplyrto the feed pump 13 is re-' duced below normal by a valve 29 in-the- 15 pipe 12 or by some other suitable regulating V i 1 means, .air may be drawn through the pipe 27.into the watertank,preheated'b its pas- Y W I sage through the chamber128, an may be delivered to the pump 13 through a pipe-30 leading therefromto the top portion ofthe V a watertank. When heated air is so delivered it will supplement the steam in the boiler and thuseconomize on fuel. i It will be noted that the delivery of exhaust steam intothe feedwatertank 11 through the condenser 10 in said tank serves both to condense such steam and to preheatthe water insaidtank. 5 V I Among the advantages of the described construction are the use of a standardrear axle,a large heat transfer area, provided by the detachable base of the boiler, the pro- 7 Vision for ready repair of the boiler base resulting from its detachability, and an accue rateprevention of'flooding of the boiler or of any undue accumulation of water therein.

What I claim is t The-combination witha boiler having an upwardly concaved boiler base, and having a 40' plurality of tubular projections integral with i and upstanding from said base, open at their lower ends and having closed upper ends formed with shallow depressions in their top I faces, means within said boiler for discharging waterdownwardly upon said projections,

and means below said boiler fordischarging heated gases into said tubular projections.

In testimony whereof I sign this specifica tion. r

r JOHN ALHARRIS. 

